"I know what I have to do…"
After saying that, Namikaze Minato—the Fourth Hokage—let a hard resolve flash through his eyes.
He truly believed in the Will of Fire.
So he chose to sacrifice his "small family" to protect Konoha—the "greater family."
Honestly, if Minato had paused to think for even a moment, he would've realized something obvious:
Hiruzen Sarutobi was already retreating into fear.
And between the two of them, Minato was the young one with a future.
If anyone "should" be the one to burn out for the village, it should've been the retired Third Hokage.
That would match the Will of Fire far better.
But Minato didn't hesitate.
Minato Teleports the Bombs
Whoosh!
With his decision made, Minato stopped holding back.
Facing four Bijūdama (Tailed Beast Bombs) radiating terrifying pressure, he took a deep breath and flashed in front of one, a Flying Thunder God kunai appearing in his hand.
In an instant, the bomb vanished.
And that was only the beginning.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Three more bursts of movement.
The other three bombs were also relocated under Minato's godlike Flying Thunder God control.
RUMBLE…! RUMBLE…!
A second later, four massive explosions detonated outside Konoha.
The shockwaves made the entire village tremble.
The Nine-Tails Escalates
"ROAAAR—!!"
Seeing its attacks erased, the Nine-Tails roared viciously.
Its nine tails thrashed, chakra surging again as it began to condense another blast.
It refused to believe this human could keep teleporting forever.
"We can't let this continue…"
Minato's expression tightened.
He formed seals rapidly.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
BAM!
A gigantic toad slammed down from the sky—
and before the Nine-Tails could react, it pinned the beast to the ground.
On the toad's head, Gamabunta gritted out, strained:
"Minato—hurry. I can't hold it for more than a few seconds!"
"I know."
Whoosh—
Minato flashed onto Gamabunta's head, and with Flying Thunder God, he teleported both Gamabunta and the Nine-Tails to a remote clearing outside the village.
The Crowd Wants to Help… and Hiruzen Stops Them
"The Nine-Tails got moved!"
"We… we should go help the Fourth Hokage!"
"Move! Now!"
The shinobi who had retreated far away hesitated—then hardened with determination.
Minato was still fighting for the village.
How could they keep running?
But—
Hiruzen's eyes turned cold.
He clenched his fists and gave an order without hesitation:
"With your strength, going there is just dying for nothing."
"All units—evacuate any remaining civilians and the younger generation."
"The Nine-Tails is for the Fourth Hokage."
"We must trust the Fourth Hokage. He will handle it."
"Yes, Third Hokage!"
The shinobi hesitated… then obeyed.
What else could they do?
And deep down, most of them still believed:
The Third Hokage would never harm the Fourth Hokage.
Obito Leaves, Hiruzen Starts Calculating
High above, Obito watched it all with cold amusement.
Under the mask, he let out a silent, bitter laugh.
Once, he'd truly believed in the Will of Fire.
Now he saw it clearly—
it was a joke.
"I'll find you."
Obito had no interest in staying.
He needed to investigate the white-bearded masked man—find out who that monster really was.
Swirl—
Space-time distorted.
Obito disappeared.
"Both masked men are gone…"
After Obito left, Hiruzen's expression shifted, and he murmured to himself:
"I must return to power… and lead Konoha's reconstruction."
His gaze drifted across the ruined village.
Thoughtful.
Calculating.
The Uchiha Are Cornered
At the same time—
inside the Uchiha district, the clan's shinobi were gathered, anger boiling over on nearly every face.
Except Uchiha Shisui, who stood oddly calm.
When the Nine-Tails appeared, the Konoha Military Police Force had immediately prepared to deploy.
But then—
Shimura Danzō arrived with Root and blocked them.
He ordered the Uchiha to stay inside their district—no one leaves tonight.
The reason?
The Nine-Tails had been controlled by Sharingan.
That excuse was poison.
The Uchiha couldn't accept it.
But once they learned the order came directly from Hiruzen, they had no choice.
So they stayed—trapped—listening to the distant explosions rocking the night.
Fugaku Confronts Danzō
"Danzō."
Uchiha Fugaku leapt down from a rooftop and confronted him at the gate.
"Konoha has seen two masked intruders."
"The Nine-Tails has been moved outside by the Fourth Hokage."
"Are you still saying the Uchiha can't go out?"
"Still can't."
Danzō's face remained shadowy and cold as he shook his head.
The message was simple:
I'm watching you. I'm watching all of you.
The Uchiha erupted.
"Damn it—still not letting us out?!"
"Aren't we part of Konoha?!"
"What is this supposed to mean—are the higher-ups accusing us?!"
Voices rose, furious and sharp.
Fugaku's anger spiked too.
Then—
"Clan Head."
Shisui finally spoke.
Internally he was panicking, but he forced confidence onto his face.
"We have to trust Konoha's leadership."
Fugaku looked at Shisui.
Then he glanced toward Uchiha Itachi, who stood nearby holding baby Uchiha Sasuke.
After that, Fugaku raised a hand, signaling the clan to quiet down.
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